The Theory of Evolution
by Princess-Sparkly-Swirls
Summary: "Almost saving me is not the same as saving me. Excuse me for not praising you, for not calling you 'messiah'" Sequel to the Scientific Method. Captain Swan Modern AU
1. Let's Kill Tonight

_A/N: Hello my lovelies! Welcome to the sequel of the Scientific Method. If you haven't read that, no worries, this can be read as a stand alone. This is not as fluffy as the previous one, because I wanted to go a little deeper. Be prepared for some angst. I hope you like it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Let's Kill Tonight**

Emma didn't like fancy restaurants. She always felt like she had to put the extra effort in to look amazing, so other people wouldn't think she didn't belong there. She enjoyed dressing up every once in a while, but with this kind of restaurant she felt like she needed to achieve the perfect balance between elegance and sexiness and to be completely frank, she felt it was too much stress.

She had finally settled on a cute black dress that fell just over her knee that was belted at the waist and had a lot of lace. It was more on the elegant side of the scale, but it looked good. She had hair up in a classy bun, curtesy of Ruby. She was ready for a grown up evening.

Killian was already at the restaurant when she arrived. He smiled his goofy face wide smile when he saw her. "There's the birthday girl! You look lovely, Swan."  
He kissed her softly and sat back down. She followed suit and looked around the room. It was a typical place meant for romantic evenings: low lighting and lots of red. She even spotted some other couples having dinner.

"I took the liberty of ordering some wine for you," he said. Emma looked down and smiled.  
"What did you go for?" She asked.  
He shrugged, "I had them recommend me something, because I have no idea what good wine is."  
She smiled and took a sip. He had ordered her a white, which was nice, because it was a hot day out. "It tastes good."  
Killian pumped his fist in a moment of victory and picked up his glass as well. "Before we do anything this evening, I want to make a toast."  
Emma picked up her own glass and leaned in. "What do you want to toast to?"  
"Well, for one, the fact that you're finally reached the big three-oh. Welcome to my side of the fence, by the way. But also love, today is our one year anniversary." He was smirking now. Emma squinted at him, before turning a bright red. Then she muttered, "That isn't until tomorrow."

364 days previous, Emma had noticed an attractive brunet moving in across the street. She had excellent view of his living room and he had a tendency of not wearing shirts. They didn't officially meet until 6 months later, but Emma had satisfied her voyeuristic urged in that time by spying on him.

Killian grinned again. "Look where it lead us though."  
Emma smiled widely and nodded. They were now in a happy committed relationship and he was enough to push her fears aside. "To us," she said.  
"Hey, that's my line!" he protested. Emma lifted an eyebrow. He grinned again, "To us."

After they ordered Killian asked, "How was your day?"  
"Surprisingly hectic for a Saturday," Emma said, "but now I'm all moved in and I've already unpacked most stuff. Now I just need to go back to clean up the other place."  
Killian frowned, "I thought Ruby was going to do that."  
Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "She and Victor decided to protest my departure by going to Vermont for the weekend."  
He shook his head. Those crazies had really found each other.

"How was yours?" Emma finally asked. Killian shrugged. "Busy, lots of clients needed my attention today. I do not like going to the office on the weekends."  
She shrugged and took another sip of wine. "At least you didn't have to carry all those heavy things."  
Killian smirked and said, "On the contrary, you know how much I love showing off my biceps."

* * *

The evening went great. Emma hadn't been looking forward to it. It was the first time she was going to spend it with just a boyfriend and not her group of friends. And from observation there was always something bound to go wrong.

But instead they had an amazing dinner, a lot of alcohol and were now on Killian's living room floor, making out. Emma was laying on top, her hands caressing his sides and chest, as she was kissing him. He had his arms wrapped around her, one hand lightly scratching her back and the other fondling her ass. After a while Emma broke away from him. "Aqua."

She got up and walked to the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of water. To catch her breath, she sat on the kitchen counter. Killian sauntered in, his hair sticking out on all sides, eyes hooded, shirt hanging half open.  
Emma swallowed hard, seeing him like this. "Well… don't you look nice?"  
"I think you mean I'm gorgeous love," He whispered into her ear, before he took the now empty glass from her. He refilled it and drowned it one go. He placed it gently in the sink, before moving to stand between her legs. "And you look like something I could just eat up," he growled.

Emma smirked and said, "I think you're confused who the big bad wolf is."  
He raised his eyebrows suggestively. She reached out and undid his belt and buttons. Killian slowly let a hand slide over her thigh, which made her shiver in pleasure. Then his fingers reached out, grazing bare flesh instead of fabric. Emma mewled a little. He retracted his hand and looked at her, "well, well, miss Swan, it looks like someone decided to be naughty."  
Emma smirked and pulled him closer. "I told you."  
Her hand reached down between them, pulling out his length, pumping it a few times. He swallowed hard and she saw his eyelids droop. "Hm, I think I will need to punish you."  
His voice was husky and barely audible, but his breath was hot on her ear and Emma felt like her blood was on fire. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She wrapped her legs around his waist and reeled him in.

It happened fast and hard. Need was overcoming them so fast they didn't even take all of their clothes off. Killian bit her neck. Emma had managed to slip her hands under his shirt and was raking his back like there was no tomorrow. They both quickly reached the edge and with a lot of grunting and mewling they both fell over the edge. He was leaning his forehead against hers and muttered, "So how was that?"  
Emma grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Best birthday ever."

* * *

They were walking down the hallway of Emma's old building around two in the afternoon. "You really didn't have to come," she said, "you should enjoy your Sunday."

Killian smiled. "I enjoy the time I spend with you."  
Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled shyly anyway. He was the classic gooey romantic, but he was really sincere about it. She squeezed his hand, before reaching into a pocket to pull out the keys.

She heard Killian's footsteps halt. She looked at him with questioning eyes. He had a dark expression. It made her spin around to see the man, now leaning against her doorway. He hadn't really changed in the 12 years they hadn't seen each other. His curly hair was still medium brown. His eyes were still bright blue. There were lines around his eyes, but that was it.

"Hey Ems," he said, tentatively smiling.  
"August," she breathed.

And the world came crashing down.

* * *

 _A/N: I hope this made a good first impression. Please leave a comment if you had any thoughts at all about this. Thank you!_


	2. 300 MPH Torrential Out Pour Blues

_A/N: Hey everybody! A lot of thanks and feelings of gratitude for everyone who decided to show love for this story. Also I want to thank the folks at the Let's Write tumblr for their awesome prompts that help me when I'm stuck._

 _I'm not sure how far I'm going to take this, but I'm thinking it's going to be about 5 chapters. Unless you have a great story idea, then I might incorporate it and make it longer._

 _Anyway, on with the story!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: 300 M.P.H Torrential Out pour Blues**

A million things went through Emma's head in that moment, but only one was brought into action. In one fell swoop she had August up against the wall, her fists cured around the lapels of his jacket. She didn't even flinch at the thud. Behind her she heard Kilian taking in a sharp breath. August was looking down at her, quite clearly pained, but she didn't care. She gave him an extra push and hissed, "what the fuck are you doing here?"  
August swallowed harshly and then smirked awkwardly. "Can't an old friend just visit out of the blue?"

Emma's eyes narrowed. The last time she saw him was about 12 years ago and the circumstances were less than pleasant. "I think you know the answer to that. So again, what the fuck are you doing here?"  
He was looking a lot more concerned now. "I have some news… and I need to ask you for your help."  
Emma chuckled bitterly, "Help? Really?"  
"It's about… him." Emma kept staring ar August trying to process what he was saying. She took a small step backwards, but didn't let go of him until Killian put his hand on her shoulder and muttered, "Come on, Swan, let's take this inside."

He was oddly quiet. Normally he was all movement, but now he was stoic and still. Emma decided to worry about one thing at a time and fished into her shorts for keys. Then she opened the door and let the gentlemen in. "Did you get robbed?" August was standing in the middle of the apartment and was looking around. Emma raised an eyebrow. He nodded and then looked at his feet. She closed the door and sat on the kitchen counter. Kilian was leaning right next to the front door, like a sentinel.

"So, what makes you think that you can come here to ask for help?" Her jaw was clenched and her fists were hidden under her legs. August paced around, frowning. His gait was a little uneven. Emma couldn't remember if that had always been there. "How can you say that? I tried to save you. You know that."  
Emma rolled her eyes and sighed deep. "Almost saving me is not the same as saving me. Excuse me for not praising you, for not calling you 'messiah'. Besides, your fucking redemption hero complex landed me in prison!"

Her eyes widened as soon as the words left her mouth and she looked at Killian. The colour had drained from his face and his expression had hardened, but he still didn't say anything, clearly determined to stay out of this discussion. August was looking as well and turned back to Emma with a raised eyebrow and a smug smile. She gritted her teeth and said, "Tell me what you want and get the hell out."  
He cleared his throat and said, "The news is that Neal is getting married."  
Emma kept her face carefully blank. He continued, "Tamara, his fiancée is horrible. She's using him. I'm not sure how or why, but I need your help to stop it."  
She scoffed. "Why is it my business?"  
"Because if anyone can talk him out of it, it's you." She had to admit that August had a look of desperation on his face. She wanted to give in, but the hurt was too deep. "August, he left me, just like you did. If he wants to marry a bitch from hell, that's his business and I have no interest in seeing him."

August shot a glance over his shoulder. She immediately said, "He's not going anywhere."  
He shoulders sagged. He looked back to Emma. "At least think about it."'  
There was a void when August left. All the rage she had felt when she saw him, had been sucked out with him and now there were just fear and sadness. She let her head fall into her hands and all of a sudden tears spilled from her eyes. They just kept coming, silently, only leaving a silt trace on her face . She wanted to bawl. She wanted to rock her body back and forth and just let it all out in a very noisy fashion, but she was incapable of it. When she felt confident that the crying had stopped she lifted her head. Killian was now standing a few feet away from her. His brow was furrowed and he was scratching the back of his head. Then he said, "Mind filling me in, Swan?"

Emma looked at him, eyes still watery. She took a few deep breaths and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "You know how I was in the foster system?"  
Killian nodded slowly. It was something they had bonded over; their lives as orphans. Emma smiled quickly and said, "Sure, not something you forget that easily. Well, a lot of stuff happened during that time."

For a moment she considered bailing, taking a dive towards the window or just running past him to the door. But then she saw his face, which was so full of emotion because of her and about her. She'd had her suspicions that he loved her and now that suspicion only grew. And since she felt like she might love him too, she owed it to him to knock a few blocks of the walls she built around herself. So she told him the story of August, Neal and her.

***  
Once upon a time a boy found a girl near a stretch of high way. The boy, merely 5 years old, took the little infant with him and brought her to a nearby town. Since no one had claimed them they were placed in a group home together. The boy vowed to protect the little girl forever. This was made difficult when the girl turned three and was adopted. For a while her life was good. Until her foster mother got pregnant. The girl, now 10 years old, returned to the group home, were the boy was also living. Even though they barely recognised each other, he once again took up the mantle to look after her. This went well for a few months.

However, the boy, now an unruly teenager, also wanted to enjoy the finer things in life. He started to hang around with a group of other boys who got him alcohol and girls. The boy started to go down a dark path and didn't have a lot of time for the girl anymore. And one day, he stopped showing up all together. He sent her a letter to let her know that one day he'd be back for her.

Years passed and the girl grew into a woman who didn't know her place in the world. After a few more disastrous stays with foster families and after a few escape attempts, she finally managed to make a break for it. For a time she lived on the streets, stealing from grocery stores and boosting cars. One day the girl tried to boost a yellow VW Bug, an idiotic decision on her part in retrospect, because the car was already stolen by another, a boy with a crooked grin and chocolate eyes. This other boy also spun the beautiful lie of protection and family. They decided to stick together and life was good.

After a while the boy told her about a locker full of stolen watches that he couldn't get to, because he was still wanted by the police. The girl volunteered, because if they had the watches, they could sell them and have an honest life together. After the pickup, the boy gave her one of the watches as a present. The girl felt on top of the world, but little did she know that things were about to go horribly wrong. The boy didn't meet her at the rendezvous point like he was supposed. Instead of him, there were a whole bunch of cops, who arrested her because she was wearing the stolen watch. The girl was sentenced 11 months in a minimum security prison. 6 months into her sentence she got a visit from the boy who found her. In whispered tones he explained what happened. The boy had been getting back on the straight and narrow, in his attempts to become an adult. He had been looking for the girl for a while now and he saw how far she had strayed. Fingering her for the crime through an anonymous tip was his way to push her back into the right direction.

The girl was furious, but since she was in prison she made the boy make a promise. He promised her to find out what happened to the other boy. After about a month she got a letter that her boy with the chocolate eyes managed to fence the watches and was now living in Tallahassee, Florida. Again the girl was furious, but she buried it, deep inside her and she promised herself to never trust anyone ever again. That worked until a handsome British man who never wore shirts moved in across the street.

The silence was heavy. Emma almost didn't dare to move, but eventually she grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water. She started sipping. It was only partially because she was thirsty. Killian was staring at her and it was so intense. She didn't know what was going to happen next. She didn't know what to expect. She'd never told anyone this, not even Ruby, her best friend.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He sounded gruff, dangerous almost. Emma raised an eyebrow, but Killian didn't seem very inclined to take the question back.  
"Because I don't go around telling people I'm an ex-con."  
"I gave you a key to my apartment!" The force, with which he said it, startled and infuriated her. "Are you afraid I'm going to steal something?" She had moved off the counter and was now standing right in front of him, daring him to counter that statement.

Killian let out a groan. "No, it's not about the fact that you were in prison. That doesn't change how I see you."  
Emma scoffed at that statement, but he silenced her with a stare. "I tried to share everything with you. I was in this for the long haul. I really think we have a good thing here, but it doesn't work if you don't tell me the most important parts of your life."  
With each word she shrunk a little more into herself. What he was saying was absolutely true. She had wanted to be in this for the long haul with him, but the kind of honesty he had, she couldn't return that. She hadn't even told him everything.

"It's just-"  
"Leave it," Killian said interrupting her. "I don't need an explanation."  
Emma looked up, pleading so hard in her mind that he wouldn't say the words he was about to say. "I just… need some time and space. I'll call you."  
As easy as that, she was alone again.


End file.
